Yoshi

Hit by a car and left for dead, the handsome grey tabby cat was rescued in the nick of time and, thanks to a network of caring animal lovers, went on to find the home of his dreams.

A good-looking guy

So, the story starts with me sitting at my desk at work when a message from my wife, Susan, pops up on Facebook Messenger.

The link led to a post by Fourways Veterinary Hospital about a badly injured stray cat in need of a home; I read his story and it touched my heart. Looking at the photos, I said to myself: “This is a good-looking guy – I like him!”

We’d been looking for a rescue cat for a while to join our family, but nothing really came up for us. That night my wife and I both agreed that there was no harm in going to meet him, and the following day she phoned Amanda Pybus, Practice Manager at Fourways Vet Hospital, to arrange a meeting.

On the Thursday morning, Susan, our daughter Alexandra, and I arrived and were escorted by one of the Fourways Vet Hospital ladies to the hospital ward, where the cat was still in the cage. The drips had just been taken out and they told us to be very gentle with him as he was still in a lot of pain.

I love him already

When we saw him in person for the first time, we fell in love. Really love at first sight! I opened the cage, slowly put my hand inside and called him; despite everything he’d been through, he edged forward and placed his soft, furry head on my hand. I gave him a scratch and he purred away. He even let Alexandra, who’s a toddler, stroke him.

I turned to my wife and asked her if we could take him home because I loved him already – and Alexandra had also fallen in love with him.

Susan suggested we check with Amanda, who wasn’t in that day. After a phone call, in which Susan assured her that we’d give him the most loving home and he’d be very well taken care of, Amanda (to our delight) agreed. We were over the moon.

Homecoming

Two days later, we brought our new family member home, naming him Yoshi, after the dinosaur from the Super Mario Brothers video game (I’m huge on video games and SMB is my all-time favourite).

We’d stocked up on everything we needed for him at Fourways Vet and ensured his room had padded flooring as he couldn’t walk on any slippery surfaces, including tiles. Once released into his new room, he was really happy and settled in exceptionally well. He loves his food and is properly house-trained.

After some recovery time, we started taking him for walks in our garden with the aid of a harness and lead as he cannot be left to go outside on his own as yet – doctor’s orders from Fourways. He’ll be going for another check-up again soon, and we expect good news.

Purrfect family member

We couldn’t have asked for a better cat than Yoshi to join our family. He’s really loving and sweet. He enjoys attention and talks a lot (I think he scolds us) when he doesn’t get attention. Yoshi and Alexandra are inseparable – they adore each other and are always hugging and kissing each other. It’s really adorable to see.

He’s healing well and we love him to bits. He’s going to bring us many years of happiness.

From me, Susan and Alexandra, we’d like to extend our thanks and gratitude to Amanda and the wonderful team at Fourways Veterinary Hospital for letting us adopt Yoshi and have him become part of our family. We’re really thankful and grateful for what they’ve done for him and us.

He’s a shining light in our lives, and the bond he’s created with our daughter is priceless!

FOURWAYS VET HOSPITAL SAVES YOSHI

By Amanda Pybus, Practice Manager

Ornella de Rose was driving near Cresta Shopping Centre on the 28th of July 2018 when she spotted a bundle of grey fur on the side of the road; it was a cat that had been hit by a car. She, of course, stopped and brought him straight to us. And that’s how we met Yoshi.

He had a badly fractured pelvis and needed to be stabilised first. An exhaustive search for his owners took place through Facebook; all the vets and welfare organisations, retirement villages, schools, etc. were notified and notices were put up. But nobody came forward.

Although we hadn’t found his owners, we knew he deserved a chance and, on the 31st of July, Dr Johan Nel, a specialist surgeon at Fourways Vet Hospital, performed two surgeries – a femur head and neck excision of his damaged leg, and pinning his shattered pelvis. The full costs were covered by the hospital.

He recovered brilliantly and was a lovely, gentle-natured cat. With no owner forthcoming, we needed to find a special home for this special guy. We advertised on our Facebook page and were contacted by Susan – and the rest is history.

He took to them immediately and the pictures they’ve sent to us post adoption show a happy, relaxed cat, living the life he deserves. He continues to do very well, and we’re sure that he’ll make a full recovery. We were extremely lucky to find this family for Yoshi and so glad to have been able to help him.